The blanket ban on blood donation by homosexual males, and bisexual males and transgender ladies who’ve intercourse with males (GBT individuals), is one step nearer to being lifted.
The Crimson Cross Lifeblood Service has, or will quickly, lodge a submission with the Therapeutic Items Administration (TGA) asking that GBT individuals in monogamous relationships, or who don’t have anal intercourse, be allowed to offer blood.
If accredited, all donors, homosexual and straight, cisgender and transgender, might be requested the identical query about whether or not they have had anal intercourse with a brand new or a number of companions. If they are saying “no” they’ll donate.
For the primary time because the introduction of HIV within the Nineteen Eighties blood donors might be screened for the protection of their sexual exercise, not the gender of their sexual accomplice.
This proposal coverage will open up a brand new supply of secure blood, make the blood provide much less discriminatory and produce Australia nearer to the prevailing insurance policies within the UK, US, Canada and plenty of different nations.
All these GBT individuals, and our allies, who’ve advocated for a fairer blood donor system ought to really feel proud.
Nonetheless, there may be more likely to be a sting within the tail of Lifeblood’s place.
From what I perceive, Lifeblood will ask the TGA to double the abstinence interval for individuals who don’t qualify underneath the brand new coverage earlier than they’ll donate.
At present, all sexually-active GBT individuals should abstain from intercourse for 3 months earlier than donating.
Now Lifeblood is proposing an abstinence interval of six months for individuals who have anal intercourse in new or a number of relationships.
Put one other means, in case you have any anal intercourse you’ll need to be in a monogamous relationship for a minimum of six months to have the ability to donate.
Concurrently Lifeblood has given a inexperienced mild to GBT people who find themselves monogamous or don’t have anal intercourse, additional hurdles have been put in the best way of those that don’t meet these standards.
Don’t get me fallacious, medical proof is obvious that an abstinence interval for anal intercourse with new or a number of companions is required, however I’m bewildered by Lifeblood’s proposal for an abstinence interval of six months relatively than three.
If accredited, the brand new six-month abstinence interval would imply that some individuals who can presently donate will not be capable to.
This consists of GBT individuals who had anal intercourse with their male accomplice greater than three months earlier than donating, who will now have to attend six.
It additionally consists of heterosexual and cisgender ladies partaking in anal intercourse.
If, as Lifeblood has repeatedly advised us, such individuals are presently secure to donate, why it’s all of the sudden needed to show them away?
Then there may be the issue of continued discrimination.
Despite the fact that Lifeblood’s proposed coverage is ostensibly non-discriminatory, it impacts a far better proportion of GBT individuals than heterosexual or cisgender individuals.
It successfully sends the message that there’s something so harmful about homosexual intercourse that totally different circumstances should apply.
It’s as if Lifeblood feels it should station additional guards on the homosexual blood donation gate to guarantee the general public the fallacious kind can’t sneak by means of.
It’s as if Lifeblood feels it should be seen to punish “dangerous” homosexual behaviour concurrently it rewards “good”.
The proposed coverage is a transparent instance of oblique discrimination in opposition to GBT individuals.
For all these causes, nations corresponding to Australia, like Canada, the UK and US, have adopted a three-month abstinence interval for individuals who have anal intercourse with new or a number of companions, with none better threat to the blood provide.
The entire level of the abstinence interval is to cowl the time between when somebody could also be newly contaminated with HIV and when it exhibits up on assessments.
The Nucleic Acid Check (NAT) used to display screen for blood-borne ailments normally detects a brand new HIV an infection ten days and one month after it has occurred.
So, the three months interval presently in place is already rather more than sufficient to scale back threat to the naked minimal.
It’s as a result of three months is greater than adequate that the TGA accredited a three-month abstinence interval for all GBT individuals in 2020.
So why is the TGA now being requested to extend this era for some GBT individuals?
Lifeblood’s rationales don’t add up.
It factors to a rise in new HIV infections amongst GBT individuals, however the actuality is that HIV an infection charges are merely returning to pre-pandemic ranges, as they’ve in different nations with a 3 month abstinence interval for anal intercourse with new or a number of companions, and stay so low as to pose no significant threat.
Lifeblood has blamed the TGA, saying it’s identified for its additional warning, although the TGA has already accredited a three-month abstinence interval for GBT individuals.
Lifeblood says it’s together with intercourse employees in its TGA submission and so they require additional warning, that some individuals with haemophilia should have residual issues about GBT donation, and that (with no clear reasoning) same-sex {couples} should be monogamous for longer to be secure.
It actually looks like Lifeblood is greedy for causes for a coverage it is aware of makes little sense.
It has change into clear from my discussions with Lifeblood that it’s determined to finish the ripple impact of the present GBT ban: there are a rising variety of companies and authorities departments refraining from blood drives till their GBT staff can donate.
It additionally seems eager to channel as many GBT individuals as attainable into plasma donation which doesn’t require any sexual abstinence interval, a path it has been pursuing for a number of years.
It might additionally need to reassure nations shopping for Australian blood merchandise that it’s strictly guarding the gates to homosexual donation.
These of us who’ve been campaigning for gender-neutral blood donation can take coronary heart that our efforts are working.
However there may be nonetheless work to do when Lifeblood helps a coverage that not directly discriminates in opposition to GBT individuals.
The Let Us Give marketing campaign might be making its personal submission to the TGA supporting gender impartial donor screening however difficult a six-month abstinence interval as pointless and stigmatising.
Please signal the petition for blood equality right here:
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